Caesar Chicken Pasta Salad

This recipe is from my Aunt Cindy.  It is a family favorite and whenever I make it for others they always want the recipe.  It is great because it can be done ahead of time and then just add the dressing when you are ready to serve it.  

8oz. uncooked pasta nuggets

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

1/2 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 - 2 1/4oz can of sliced black olives

8 oz caesar dressing

3 chicken breast

Grill or bake chicken until done, cut into 1-inch squares.  Cook pasta according to the box.  Pasta and chicken need to be cool.  Mix all ingredients together, put the dressing on right before serving.

Pumpkin Waffles

I was in need of some fall foods this weekend.  I found this recipes when I was looking to use up some pancake mix.  The waffles weren't as firm as waffles are normally but top it with real maple syrup, cool whip and a little pumpkin spice and you will never know the difference.  I made extra for this week to throw in the toasters in the morning as I'm running out the door.  I also made my cheesy brat stew this weekend.  AMAZING as usual.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/3 cup Hungry Jack Original Pancake & Waffle Mix

1/2 cup Libby's 100% pure pumpkin

1 1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon ginger

DIRECTIONS:

Heat waffle iron and grease, if needed.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir ingredients until well blended.  Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto center of hot waffle iron. Close lid of waffle iron.

Cook about 4-6 minutes or until steaming stops. Carefully remove waffle.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Got leftover Turkey?  We did!  We finally made the turkey we bought at Thanksgiving last year and it was a lot of leftover for us.  I found this freezer meal recipe so I made one for dinner and froze one for later.  You could also substitute chicken for the turkey.

1 lbs. uncooked spaghetti
1/2 lbs. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 c. chopped onion
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
3 cans (10.75oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3 c. cubed cooked turkey
1 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. sherry or additional chicken broth
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
3/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute mushrooms and onion in oil until tender.  Add the garlic, cook 1 minute longer.  Stir in the soup, turkey broth, sherry Italian seasoning, pepper, and 1 cup cheese.  Drain spaghetti; stir into turkey mixture.
3. Transfer to two greased 8-inch square baking dishes.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months.  Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until heated through.

To use Frozen Casserole:
Thaw in refrigerator overnight.  Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly.

Quick and Easy Italian Chicken Dinner

I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest. Seriously easiest chicken I have every made. Of course I halved the recipe and made it in a 9x9 pan.  Also now that I know it works, I will try different seasoning mixes for variety.  Adjust the amount of ingredients to your family size.

Notes from the original pinner: A friend of mine brought me this when I had surgery. Now it is my "go to" dish for taking to people who have had babies, surgery, etc.

Ingredients list:

4-6 raw chicken breasts
New potatoes (as many or as little as you would like)
Green beans (fresh or canned-really any green veggie would work. Broccoli is good, too).

Arrange in 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with a packet of Italian dressing mix and then top with a melted stick of butter. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Casserole

I have found a new website that I love for recipes, Six Sisters Stuff.  I tried a recipe from their site last night and it was so delicious.  It could be used for dinner or breakfast.  I halved the recipe and put the other half in a freezer bag for a meal in a couple of weeks.  This recipe is perfect for leftover ham.  When I halved the recipe I used my 2 quart slow cooker.  It was enough for my boyfriend, myself, and lunch the next day. 

Ingredients:
1 (30 oz) package frozen hash brown potatoes, cubed or shredded
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 (10.75 oz) can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked chopped ham
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (6 oz) package, herb-seasoned stuffing mix

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine hash browns, dried onion, salt, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, cheese, and ham and place in slow cooker. Sprinkle stuffing mix over top, then drizzle melted butter over stuffing. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high 2-4 hours.

Chicken Divan

Searching around for something for dinner and I came across this recipe which I haven't had in FOREVER!  It use to be a staple at the cabin when I was growing up.  I'm going to have to bring it back when we are looking for something for dinner at the cabin.  The best thing was that I had all the ingredients at home which means you might too.  I also halved the recipe because for 2 of us we don't need a 9x13 pan of this recipe.  Oh and I bet this would make a great freezer meal!


7oz. Elbow Macaroni
4 chicken breasts; boiled and cut into 1 in. pieces)
1 bunch of broccoli; lightly steamed (optional)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small brick (10oz) of cheddar cheese; grated
1/2c. miracle whip
2 soup cans of milk
1 small onion finely chopped


Cook macaroni as directed on the box and put in a greased 9x13 pan.  Add broccoli on to top the macaroni.  Mix the rest of the ingredients including the chicken in a bowl.  Gently pour over the macaroni and broccoli.  Top with salt and pepper.  Bake for 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

As the weather is getting warmer we are looking for recipes that require less time in the kitchen so we have more time outside.  I found one...  Throwing chicken in a crockpot before you leave for work, shredded the chicken when you get home and add a few ingredients and the main course of dinner is done.  This chicken is very versatile.  Make a sandwich with it, hot or cold, put it on a salad, add noodles and it makes a noodle salad (similar to tuna salad)... oh the possibilities.  I used chicken I had previously cooked in the crockpot, shredded it and froze it.  Worked perfectly to put the frozen chicken in the crockpot, warm it back up, add the ingredients and dinner was done.  

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts (I used Chicken Breasts)
• 1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or 2 teaspoons of dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 12 slider buns or 4-6 regular sized hamburger buns

Directions:

• Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.  
•  Remove chicken from cooker using a slotted spoon and drain the water from the slow cooker. Place chicken on a cutting board and pull chicken into shreds, discarding any fat. 
• Place chicken back in the cooker and pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot. 
• Spoon 1/4 cup mixture onto each slider bun if you are making sliders or more for regular sized buns. Top with extra shredded Parmesan cheese and lettuce to serve.

BLT Chip Dip

I had this last weekend ts a party and it was to die for.  I haven't made it myself but the dip didn't last through the night.

1 c. sour cream
1 c. mayo (not miracle whip)
1 - 2 Roma tomatoes or one regular tomato seeded and chopped
1 pkg. bacon bits or crumbled bacon (amount depends on how much you like bacon)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Can be garnished with fresh parsley

Cheesy Chilada Bake

This one has been a huge hit. I have made it many times and it perfect if you are making multiple meals. The most time consuming is chopping the produce and browning the meat. I made enough veggies and meat for 6 meals in an hour. It will probably take me about 30 more minutes to assemble the meals and I have 6 meals done in 90 minutes. I used yellow and orange peppers instead of green. Please note the serving sizes for this recipe.

Makes 4(9x13 pan)entrees,8 servings each

6 lbs. ground beef
4 green peppers, diced
4 medium onions, diced
2 tsp. minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
4 c. Picante sauce
4 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
4 (14.5 oz) cans pinto beans
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. salt
48 corn tortillas
8 c. Mexican cheese, shredded

1. Brown beef, peppers, onions, and garlic in large stockpot over medium heat until beef is no longer pink, about 30 minutes. Drain and discard fat. Stir in picante sauce, tomato sauce, beans, cumin, and salt.
2. Spread 4 cups of the mixture over the bottom of each baking dish. Cover the mixture with 6 corn tortillas, overlapping the edges as necessary to fit in a single layer. Spread 1 cup of cheese over the tortillas. Repeat each layer, finishing with cheese topping.
3. Wrap each dish entirely in plastic. Top with foil, label and freeze.

To cook:
1. Completely thaw one dish in fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Remove plastic wrap and foil from baking dish and replace foil. Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is hot and edges are bubbly.

Comforting Cube Steaks

So my parents bought part of a cow a few months ago and they were kind enough to share with my sister and I, but here is the dilemma... what is a cube steak????  Of course busted out Google (the computer nerd I am) and found out that a cube steak is used to refer to a cut of meat that has been run through a mechanical tenderizer. The resulting steak is called a cube steak because of the cube-shaped indentations made by the tenderizer.  Now that explains what it is but my burning questions is how do I prepare it?  So I continued with my research and found this information: Cube steak can be braised, sautéed or pan-fried. Cube steak can even be baked in a casserole. Examples of cube steak recipes include chicken-fried steak and Swiss steak.  Well, I went in search of some recipes because I was determined to use my cube steaks for dinner... and this is the recipe I choose.

I varied the spices because I didn't have dry onion soup mix at home.  Did you know that you can make a homemade onion soup mix (probably less sodium too)?  That recipe will have to wait for another day...  

I also thinly sliced onions and baked them too.  I would have added mushrooms but I didn't have any.  The soup and soda make a thin gravy mix so you could make mashed potatoes, thicken up the gravy and you have dinner done. Bonus: the house smells amazing.

I was also reading some of the reviews for this recipe and many people used the slow cooker to make this recipe.  The website link is at the bottom of the recipe if you want to read the reviews too.

Ingredients:
4 (4 ounce) cube steaks
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Season the steaks on both sides with Cajun seasoning and black pepper. Place the steaks into the prepared baking dish. Pour the lemon-lime beverage over them. Combine the cream of mushroom soup and dry onion soup mix, and pour over the steaks.
Bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until meat reaches desired doneness. Do not open the oven door during the first hour of cooking. Serve steaks with gravy spooned over. 

Allrecipes.com - Comforting Cube Steaks

Slow cooker Orange chicken

I love orange chicken, the non-spicy variety, from Chinese restaurants so I was on a mission to find something similar that was much healthier.  I made the recipe below over the New Year's weekend at my cabin and it turned out very good.  Not quite the same as a Chinese restaurant but close enough.

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup flour

olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt (use less if you use table salt)
6 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (I'd opt for little-to-no pulp. The pulp can taste a bit bitter when cooked)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup

Directions: 

Use a 4 quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, we won't need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.

Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2009/09/slow-cooker-orange-chicken-recipe.html

Fun new crockpot website

I found this crockpot website the other day when I was looking for a orange chicken recipes (recipe will be posted soon). 

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

To die for crock pot roast

I was looking for a new and exciting Crock pot Roast recipes and I stumbled across this one.  It has been added to my favorite recipe collection... YUM YUM YUM!

Ingredients
1 beef roast, any cut, to fit size of crock pot.
1 pkg. hidden valley ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. brown gravy mix
1 pkg. Italian dressing mix
1 Cup water
small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered. (optional)
1 Cup celery , chopped (optional)
1 pkg baby carrots (optional) 

Directions:Mix together packets and water in a bowl. Put roast in crock pot and pour mixture over the top of the roast. Cook on low for 8 hours.  Add veggies during the last three hours.

Spicy Roasted Chicken Legs

I was looking for a simple way to prepare chicken legs.  I came across this recipe.  It is nice because you can change the flavor by changing the spices.  I used Margarine instead of butter because I heard that butter burns easier than margarine.  I used different spices like salt, garlic, onion, and paprika.  If you click on the link at the bottom of this recipe there are pictures to go with each step on The Pioneer Woman's website.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 30 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 24 whole Chicken Legs
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Hot Salt (or You Favorite Seasonings)
• 1/2 cup Lemon Juice (or To Taste)

Preparation Instructions

Melt 2 sticks of butter in a saucepan. Pour ½ cup of lemon juice (fresh or bottled). Now add your seasonings. In this case, 1 tablespoon of Morton’s Hot Salt. You can use whatever seasonings makes your skirt fly up, be it minced garlic, salt and Cayenne pepper ... let your imagination run wild. Stir it together until combined.

Rinse and pat your chicken legs dry. With metal tongs, transfer them one by one into the butter mixture and place on a baking sheet. Once all of the chicken legs are coated and on the baking rack, take a pastry brush and give them one last coating of the butter mixture. Sprinkle them with some more of your seasonings.

Place them into a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes. If they need a bit more color, turn on the broiler for a couple minutes and watch them closely. Remove them when they are nice and golden brown.

The Pioneer Woman

Mrs. Fields Eggnog Cookies and Frosting

I had to come up with a cookies recipe for a cookie exchange this year. I love to bake and have tons of cookie recipes but I wanted to find a recipe that was more for the holiday season and different than what usually appears on holiday cookie plates in our family. Here is the winning recipe. Keep in mind the frosting recipe makes more than enough frosting for 6 dozen cookies. I doubled the cookie recipe and used one frosting recipe. The cookies turned out wonderful. Another thing to note is the frosting takes some time to set up so make sure you have time to let them sit before they are packaged away.  Happy Holiday Baking to all!


Yields: 3 dozen cookies
1 recipes of the Frosting yields enough for more that 6 dozen cookies.

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup SALTED butter, room temp (Mrs. Fields calls for this)
1/2 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 300F.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Chill dough.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets, 1″ apart. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg or skip this step and sprinkle on the nutmeg after you ice the cookies. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown.

Transfer to cool, flat surface immediately with spatula.

Eggnog Icing
3 C. confectioners’ sugar
1/4 C. softened butter or margarine
1/3 C. commercial eggnog (use as much as you need)

In small mixer bowl, beat confectioners’ sugar and butter or margarine until well blended. Gradually beat in eggnog until icing is smooth. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Leave of Absense

Whoa!  Where has the time gone since I last posted?  I haven't posted a recipe in two months... yikes!  I make a bunch of freezer meals over the weekend and will be posting the recipes as I try them.  I will be having freezer meatloaf and mashed potatoes tonight.  Stay tuned!

Apple Pie Filling for the freezer

Got more apples?  Use this recipe to save them for the middle of winter when a nice warm pie sounds delicious or you need a quick homemade dessert.  This is one of the few recipes I'm going to post that I have a not try and never will.  I don't like cooked fruit, especially apples.  My boyfriend wanted to use some of the apples from his apples tree for pie filling.  Sounds like a challenge for me to find a way to freeze pie filling for future use.  This recipe is also very easy to cut down to the amount of apples you have.  The ingredients are all easily divided in to fourths.

Yields: enough for 4 piesIngredients:

•           16 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced

•           4 tablespoons lemon juice

•           4 cups white sugar

•           1 cup cornstarch

•           4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

•           1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

•           1 teaspoon salt

•           8 cups water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and set aside.

2. Pour water into a Dutch oven over medium heat. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

4. Ladle into 4 freezer containers or gallon freezer bags, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 1/2 hours.

5. Seal and freeze. Can be stored for up to 12 months.

6. You can also make pies right away.

Apple Bread

Looking for something to use your fall apple on... Try Apple bread, similar to zucchini bread.  It freezes as well.  I would suggest using a food processor to grate the apple but it can be done with a hand grater, just messier.

1 ½ C flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 beaten egg
1 C sugar
1 ½ C finely shredded, peeled apple
¼ C cooking oil
½ C chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted

1. Grease the bottom and ½ in up sides of an 8x4x2 in loaf pan; set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
2. In another medium bowl combine egg, sugar, apple, and oil. Add apple mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy) fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. (It tastes just as good if you eat it warm).

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

The credit for this recipe goes to Vanessa and probably her mom.  It was so yummy and perfect because you make it the night before.  What is better than Hot ham and cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup on a cool fall day.  And another great thing about this recipe is that it took about 15 minutes to prep the night before.  Make the sauce first and while it cool assemble the sandwiches.

1 dozen small buns (dollar buns)
1/2 lbs. deli ham (or enough to fill the sandwich)
1/2 lbs. Swiss cheese (or enough to fill the sandwich)

Sauce:
2 sticks butter
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
4 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. yellow mustard

Mix all sauce ingredients in sauce pan, bring to boil. Cool.
Assemble sandwiches, place in 9x13 pans.
Spoon cooled sauce on top of buns.
Cover & refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes covered with tinfoil & 5 minutes uncovered.

Turkey Burger with Zucchini and Carrot

I was trying to figure out something to do with zucchini that I had.  This recipe sounded interesting and wasn't any harder to mix up than a a regular burger.  It turned out really good.  The burger has lots of flavor and is super healthy.  I just used regular hamburger buns and I didn't make the mayo mix.  I used 1 lbs. of Ground Turkey Breast and it made 4 large size burgers.

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound ground turkey
• 1 medium zucchini, grated
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 slices crusty bread
• 4 small leaves Boston lettuce
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (optional)

Directions

1. Heat broiler. In a large bowl, combine the turkey, zucchini, carrot, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and egg. Form the mixture into 4 patties.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties, turning once, until no pink remains, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
3. Meanwhile, place the bread on a baking sheet and brush with the remaining oil. Broil until golden brown and crisp, about 1 ½ minutes.
4. Transfer the bread to individual plates. Top with the lettuce and burgers. If desired, combine the mayonnaise and lemon juice and serve with the burgers.

 Real Simple Recipes - Turkey Burger with Zucchini and Carrots